Roald Dahl. His biography & darkest hours

Probably you have already read the biography of this writer. But I post here an article about his darkest hours which will help you understand better his dark novels. You can also find his biography, just in case you have't found  time to read it yet.

It's a bit long but I hope you find time to read it all.

Roald Dahl. Dark hours.

Roald Dahl biography

Quotes

"Children are ... highly critical. And they lose interest so quickly. You have to keep things ticking along. And if you think a child is getting bored, you must think up something that jolts it back. Something that tickles. You have to know what children like."

"As I went on, the stories became less and less realistic and more fantastic. But becoming a writer was pure fluke. Without being asked to, I doubt if I'd ever have thought of it."

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

"The writer for children must be a jokey sort of a fellow. He must like simple tricks and jokes and riddles and other childish things. He must be ... inventive. He must have a really first-class plot."

 

 

Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia dies at 66

World-renowned Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia has died aged 66 in Mexico, reportedly of a heart attack while playing with his children on a beach.

The death of one of the most celebrated flamenco guitarists was announced by the mayor's office in Algeciras, southern Spain, where he was born.
He is said to have died in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
Famous for a series of flamenco albums in the 1970s, he also crossed over into classical and jazz guitar.
He also worked on films by Spanish director Carlos Saura, notably appearing in his 1983 version of Carmen, which won a UK Bafta award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1985.
Algeciras is to hold two days of official mourning. Its mayor, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, called the musician's death an "irreparable loss for the world of culture and for Andalusia".
He had lived both in Mexico and in Spain in recent years.

Paying tribute to a "very special musician", fellow Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco Pena, 71, told BBC Radio 4's Front Row: "Once in a while someone comes along in a musical discipline who changes everything, who sees things that others have not seen up to that point, and Paco de Lucia was one of these people.
"After him, flamenco radically changed and the proof is that so many young people have taken his lead and now flamenco is full of that virtuosity."
'I knew every rhythm'

BBC News

Read the whole article here:

Paco de Lucía dies_ BBC 
 

Going Solo, by Roald Dahl

As you already know, this is the next book you have to read.  What do you think about finding out something about the author's biography? I'm sure you'll be really surprised.

You have to read the first 4 chapters, that is, 50 pages.
We'll talk about it on Thursday 27th Feb, and Monday 3rd March, depending on your group.

Enjoy the story!

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter

 

And here you have another video about J.K. Rowing and her famous Harry Potter books.
Watch it first non-stop and then watch it again to answer the questions provided in the attached document.
I'm sure that even if you're adults, you'll feel like reading her books afterwards. I read all of them and I really enjoyed each one.

Click here to get the questions:

Questions Harry Potter

Celebrating the life of Abraham Lincoln

“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. We – even we here – hold the power and bear the responsibility.”

Steve Emberrom  from VOA Learning English, speaks about Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th president of the United States born on  February 12th.

To read and listen to this interesting article, click here:

Abraham Lincoln


 

A new word: MONDEGREEN

mondegreen

Line breaks: mon|de|green

Pronunciation: /ˈmɒndəgriːn

 

noun

• a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing of the lyrics of a song.

  More example sentences

  • So I listened to it several times, wondering if my perception of it might be a mondegreen.
  • Of course, you want to make sure that you don't become the victim of a mondegreen: that's a misheard lyric to you and me.
  • It's not a mondegreen because the mis-construal is not part of a song or poem or similar performance.

Origin

1950s: from Lady Mondegreen, a misinterpretation of the phrase laid him on the green, from the traditional ballad ‘The Bonny Earl of Murray’.

And talking about feminism ...

It's Thursday so it's a good moment to have a good laugh.

Today's phrase. BBC Learning English

Get off your high horse

British model and entrepreneur Katie Price is dressed as a pink pony to celebrate her company's 5th anniversary and launch a range of equestrian products. Photo: Joel Ryan/ Invision/ AP

Today's Phrase

You can say get off your high horse or get down off your high horse to someone who is talking as if they are better than someone else. You can also say come off your high horse.
Examples:
Stop criticising everyone! You should get down off your high horse and admit that you aren't perfect either!
John used to tell his fellow classmates what a genius he was. But after he got a couple of bad marks, he had to come off his high horse and study as hard as everyone else.

Take note

To back the wrong horse means to support someone who can't win.
Example:
Our boss should have promoted me to senior management. Peter doesn't have enough experience to be in that position. The boss backed the wrong horse!

Interesting fact

Archaeologists think that horses were first tamed and exploited by humans some 6,000 years ago in west Kazakhstan.